Verse: Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Thoughts
I love the paradox in this verse. Paul probably did it on purpose to make a point and get our attention. He basically says, "You are free!!! Now go become un-free!"
He plays with the word freedom to make a powerful point that when you become free in Christ, you become a slave of Christ. You are free from fear, shame, guilt, sin, and the power of the enemy. You are free from having to measure up to the world's standards. You are free from having to earn your salvation both now and eternally. You are free from having to create your own identity. In his death and resurrection, Jesus freed you from all of that.
But as you accept that freedom, he calls you into a different kind of servanthood. He calls you to serve God and others. He explains this further in Romans 6:17-18:
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
How can we use our freedom to serve others? What does it mean to be a slave to righteousness?
This is not the total answer, but at least in part I think it means that our lives are not our own. Even though we are completely free, we have chosen to become completely God's. We chose to live the prayer "not my will, but yours." We look for ways to serve others, lift others up, sacrifice for others, and more. Let that be the mindset that go into today with, as you celebrate God's freedom in your life by serving others!
Prayer
Give me eyes to see the God opportunities to serve others!